Chapter 122: Genuine Feelings or Just an Act

The grand finale was broadcast live. The entire studio was packed with an audience, with small stools squeezed into every available aisle.

The five contestants stepped onto the stage to a tidal wave of applause.

After the opening performance, host Meng Weiliang took the stage to explain the competition rules. The final scores for the five contestants would be drawn from three sources: the judges, the contestants' peer-to-peer voting, and five hundred audience reviewers. The ultimate champion would then be decided by a text-message vote from the audience at home.

Mo Qi and Lin Zheng cleared their first-round opponents without suspense, successfully securing their spots in the championship round.

As the first round concluded, the contestants went to rest while the guests invited by the production team took the stage to perform.

Mo Qi went backstage to change, and upon entering, she ran into Lin Zheng. Lin Zheng had been waiting for her intentionally, as the two of them would soon be competing for the title, along with the third finalist, Zhou Tingzi.

"Mo Qi."

"What is it?" Mo Qi paused, her clothes in hand, and turned to look at her.

Lin Zheng said with a serious expression, "I hope you won't go easy on me this time. I want to have a fair and square competition with you."

Mo Qi smiled at these words. "All right, let's both do our best. I'm going to go change now."

After saying this, Mo Qi took her costume to a back cubicle. Lin Zheng remained where she stood, her heart heavy with complex emotions. Their friendship had reached a point of such polite formality.

For the final championship, the three would engage in a "king-of-the-hill" style competition. Mo Qi and Lin Zheng would face off first; the winner would become the current champion and face a challenge from Zhou Tingzi. Once the final champion was crowned, the audience votes would determine the runner-up and the second runner-up.

Lin Zheng took the stage first. She and He Shuai had designed a beautiful scene depicting a prince and princess, using their singing to portray a romantic love story. As one of the hottest heartthrobs in the entertainment industry this year, He Shuai brought significant audience support to Lin Zheng. Throughout the competition, Lin Zheng had also garnered a large fan base, and as Xie An's girlfriend, she could count on his fans to cast their votes for her as well.

The two finished their performance to thunderous applause. As He Shuai stepped off the stage, he smiled at Mo Qi and said, "Good luck." He then nodded toward Shen Yijue, who stood nearby.

This was a clash between Mo Qi and Lin Zheng, but it was just as much a battle of popularity between He Shuai and Shen Yijue. Facing He Shuai’s slightly smug gaze, Shen Yijue remained indifferent, offering only a faint, cool nod.

Mo Qi, however, laughed and joked, "Brother He, you put so much effort into that, you're leaving me no room to breathe!"

"Hahaha, perform well, I believe in you."

*Your belief isn't worth a damn,* Mo Qi thought, rolling her eyes internally.

On stage, Meng Weiliang finished his introduction, and it was time for Mo Qi’s performance. "I'm heading up now." Mo Qi stepped onto the stage, her skirt in hand, as the "Mo Palace" fans holding signs with her name erupted into screams and cheers.

Mo Qi bowed to the audience, the stage lights dimmed, and the music began to swell. She had also prepared a stage play, one with a theme similar to *Romeo and Juliet*. The performance was gentle and slow, filled with the sentimentality of a woman in love and the silly, sweet laughter that comes with thoughts of romance.

Mo Qi stood as if leaning against a balcony, looking down with a troubled expression at the imaginary crowd below, muttering in complaint, "Why isn't he here yet?"

"My dear Alice, I am so sorry to have kept you waiting."

A spotlight suddenly hit the dim stage. Shen Yijue, dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, strode toward her.

"Ah! It's the Heavenly King Shen!" A burst of uncontrollable screaming erupted from the audience. To match Mo Qi’s performance, Shen Yijue had somehow found an Eastern European-style cap from the eighties to wear. It stripped away some of his usual haughty elegance and replaced it with a touch of romance.

The screaming continued, and the production team scrambled to maintain order so as not to disrupt the performance. Everyone knew of the Heavenly King’s popularity, but this was madness; the women in the audience seemed ready to storm the stage. After the initial commotion, the crowd finally settled down.

Shen Yijue walked to Mo Qi’s side, took her hand affectionately, and said, "My dear Alice."

Mo Qi swallowed the lines she had been about to deliver. With Shen Yijue’s involvement, she could hardly continue with the original script. However, Shen Yijue did not try to steal the spotlight; after his opening line, he simply looked at her with deep affection, clearly leaving the pacing of the performance to her.

Although she knew it was a performance, being looked at so intensely by Shen Yijue made Mo Qi feel somewhat uneasy. Taking the opportunity to pull her hand from his grasp, she pouted and complained with a coquettish, spoiled tone, "You're so late—I must punish you."

"My dear Alice, if I must be punished, may I make a request?" Shen Yijue’s acting seemed to require no preparation; even with this impromptu improvisation, he brought the character to life with startling clarity. He was the very image of a romantic young man from the Middle Ages.

"Speak," Mo Qi said, a smile blooming in her eyes, though she still pretended not to let her tardy lover off the hook easily. It was less of a complaint and more of a playful tease.

"My dear Alice, could you punish me by letting me love you for all eternity?" Shen Yijue’s gaze remained deep and soulful. As he spoke, he took her hand once more and slowly knelt on one knee before her.

Mo Qi was stunned; she hadn't expected this. She quickly regained her composure, the corners of her mouth curling up, her eyes filled with genuine emotion.

As Mo Qi’s mind raced to find the perfect line to follow up with, she saw Shen Yijue reach into his pocket, pull out a ring, and hold it up. "My dear Alice, will you marry me?"

Mo Qi stared at him blankly. Others might think the ring was just a prop prepared for the show, but she knew better. This platinum women's ring was clearly something Shen Yijue had prepared himself, and one didn't need to guess who it was for.

*Is this guy crazy?* she thought. *Proposing with a ring during a performance? And those lines!* She couldn't help but suspect that he had planned the whole thing in advance.

The audience below saw the two staring at each other without further action and grew restless. "Say yes!" a voice finally shouted from the crowd, and soon others stood up to join in the clamor.

"Yes! Say yes! Say yes!"

The production team, seeing the audience’s excitement spiraling out of control, simply backed off to guard the stage and prevent anyone from charging it, giving up on everything else.

Shen Yijue remained on one knee, the ring held out toward her, looking at her in silence. The competition was being broadcast live, and the performance had to go on.